Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon has released his annual report. He reports the county had 464 deaths last year, 426 which were considered natural.

The coroner's office handled 22 accidental deaths, including nine that were drug-related accident overdoses and six traffic-related deaths. Drug-related deaths increased two, while traffic accident deaths were down two. There were seven additional accidental deaths from other causes, such as falls and fires. No occupational or job-related deaths were reported in the past year.

Cannon reported 100 deaths in 2017 were attributed to various forms of cancer, down from 106 the prior year.

There were 9 Suicides in 2017 - 2 by hanging, 6 by firearms, and one classified as "other." In 2016, there were 5 total Suicides -2 by hanging, 2 by firearms, and one intentional drug overdose.

There was one death in 2017 classified as a Drug-Induced Homicide - none in 2016. There were no other Homicides in either year.

There were two deaths in 2017 directly attributable to reaction from administration of the Influenza Vaccine- one was an accidental administration to an elderly person who had a known and documented allergy to the vaccine components; the other was a random, unexpected reaction in an elderly person who had received the vaccine in previous years with no adverse consequences. There were no deaths in 2016 or 2017 directly attributable to an Influenza virus in Marion County.

There were 426 Natural deaths in 2017, down from 437 in 2016.

Coroner Cannon and his staff would like to extend their condolences and support for all those affected by the deaths these numbers represent, and as always, will continue to strive to serve those left behind as we all face 2018.

Cannon says the coroner's office made good progress in 2017, adding additional resources and equipment at no additional cost to taxpayers, greatly enhancing the level of service, and bringing the office to a greatly-increased level of readiness in case of a major disaster. In addition, Cannon has added volunteers with specific skill sets and professional experience who bring their talents to the office at no charge.

Cannon is particularly proud of these accomplishments given the fact that the Coroner's Budget has been consistently lowered by considerable amounts each year. Cannon says his office will continue to find ways to do more with less, as in years past.